Haiti's elections

Tiptoeing toward stability

Mr Préval is set to form a government

IN A further boost for much-needed political stability in Haiti, parliamentary elections last week passed off without incident. Although turnout was low—around 30% of the 3.5m voters—that hardly mattered compared with the relief over a day free of fraud or violence in a country so recently emerged from dictatorship and civil conflict. Haiti's previous parliamentary elections, in 2000, were marred by massive fraud, provoking a violent political struggle that ended in the ousting of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in 2004.

Presidential elections in February, supervised by the UN, were again nearly derailed by allegations of fraud. But René Préval, a popular 63-year-old agronomist, was eventually confirmed the winner. Partial results from last week's legislative run-off indicate that although his party has failed to win an absolute majority, it is set to win enough seats in both the upper and lower houses for Mr Préval to form a coalition government, led by a prime minister of his choice. Partial results show Mr Préval's Lespwa (Hope) party winning at least 11 of 27 seats in the Senate, and at least 20 of 85 seats in the lower house.

Mr Préval should have no problem forming a coalition. He will have the biggest voting block in both houses, and all the parties say they will support him. Mr Préval is due to be sworn in as president on May 14th, three months after his election. Political analysts say he has used the lengthy transition period wisely, reaching out to all sides to heal the bitter political divisions that have plagued the hemisphere's poorest country for so long.

In the last few weeks he has also made a series of successful foreign trips to Washington, Brazil, Cuba and Venezuela. It has been a while since Haiti could boast a statesman at the helm, and that has clearly boosted Lespwa's credibility with voters. Mr Préval returned this week from Caracas, with an agreement from President Hugo Chávez for Haiti to join a Venezuelan oil pact that supplies Caribbean countries with cheap fuel. Cuba has offered continued medical aid, and Brazil is sending experts to explore the development of bio-fuels, such as ethanol.

America appears unfazed by Mr Préval's dealings with Cuba's President Fidel Castro and Mr Chávez. As long as Haiti sticks to a democratic path, it seems happy to let anyone help prevent the country reverting to chaos.